Live from the last open training camp of the year

[SonOfWashington]

Thanks for keeping us up to speed E-Dog.

[turtle]

Well I just got back. Now I can type on a normal keyboard.

The first thing that sticks out in my mind is that, overall, it wasn't too tough a practice. There was very little hitting and everything seemed to be...I dunno...not lacksidasical exactly, but it certainly wasn't the most spirited practice I've ever seen. It did lend credence to the whispers that Gibbs is running a soft camp. But Bill Walsh always ran a soft camp, so who knows if a team needs a ton of hitting in practice. Certainly, nobody got hit with any force today.

The good: Jason Campbell was mostly impressive. He does have a bit of a touch problem and tends to under throw his receivers when he tries to lob it over the defenders heads. But on every other type of throw, the ball was right where it needed to be - not just catchable but in the precise location to make it easy for the receiver to make the catch and get YAC.

Todd Wade isn't going to blow anybody off he ball in the running game but he isn't going to give up too many sacks either. I feel good about Campbell's blind side protection this season. Based on today's performance, I would guess that the running game will feature more counters and such plays where Wade will be moving, rather than straight ahead, move your man off the spot type of plays. That would have been easy to guess considering Wade's history at tackle, but this practice confirmed it, at least for now. I don't see that changing this year. It isn't as if Wade is going to turn into Joe Jacoby anytime soon.

Watching Cooley makes me wonder why the FO hasn't locked him down to a contract extension. If he has the type of year that he looks like he'll have, then it will cost much more to sign him 9 months from now. Not sure what's going on there. Good news is that he's is primed for a monster year. I actually got a chance to "chat" with him for about 5 seconds after practice. He came right up to me and we exchanged a few brief words. He's very personable and approachable.

Santana Moss was Santana Moss. Quiet...then boom! Huge play out of nowhere. Randle El had that one very nice route where he dusted Carlos. Those are our guys in the deep passing game. Which brings us to...

The bad: Someone asked me if Campbell's pass to Lloyd was catchable. Well, it hit him in the hands. If the pass hadn't bounced off Lloyd's hands like a foul ball off a backstop, it would have missed skimming the top of his helmet by a few inches. So yeah, you could say it was catchable. It has a ton of mustard on it, and was a bit high, but anyone who has ever started at WR in the NFL should make that catch. Lloyd in general did absolutely nothing to distinguish himself. Kind of like last year.

Portis did not actually run a play. Why he appeared in the backfield with his jersey on, I have no idea. Maybe he's itching to get in there, but judging from his comments, I don't think so. He spent most of practice peddling on a stationary bike.

Like I said, Todd Collins is just not an NFL quarterback. I don't know how to put it more plainly. I seriously doubt that in a real game he could complete any pass deeper or more complicated than a dump-off, 4 yard in-route to a RB. Jordan Palmer...of course he's a rookie, but he needs to be the 3rd guy. It would apparently take a small miracle to make that happen, but Palmer showed lots of zip and good accuracy on his throws. I cannot think what good could be gained from banishing Palmer to the practice squad while Collins assumes the role of player/coach. He's not a player, so let him coach, and let's start grooming Palmer for the backup role. Palmer seemed very similar to Campbell (probably the answer to the question: why did we draft him?) so let’s get him ready to play in the NFL.

The defense might...not...be...real good this year. I certainly didn't see anything that would lead me to believe Gregg Williams is forming that kind of unit we saw 2 years ago. One good thing was LB's getting some penetration in the backfield on blitzes. Collins would have been sacked about 3-4 times, if that were allowed. But there wasn't much hitting, as I said, so who knows. Maybe GW is waiting to unleash the hounds at a later date? Let's hope so. I suppose if Fletcher & Rocky can turn those ridiculous, galloping runs by opposing RB’s to 5-yard gains instead, that’ll be something.

That's about it. Glad I got one in this year. I think the offense could be special. If the defense can hold the dam from bursting, then this could be a playoff team.

Great insight. Thanks.

[E-Dog Night]

I have to disagree on one thing. I think B Lloyd has been having a good camp, and proving he should get that 2 spot back. I've been to two training camps and the scrimmage. He has his quickness and has been running good routes. Minus the one ball he dropped.

Point taken. This was the only camp I attended, so of course, anyone can have an off day. Glad to hear he's played better that what I saw today. I'd love it if he stepped up and took the #2 spot, but it seems to me that Randle El is developing a kind of chemistry with Campbell that Lloyd is not.

[Lowghost]

E-Dog, I hate you. :mad:

Only because I couldn't be there with you.

Thanks, it is always good to hear from someone that is at the practices. :applause:

[HapHaszard]

Thanks E-dog good work.

[Xameil]

Awesome E-dog thanks. I think you could expect Randel El to have a better rapport with Campbell then either Moss or Lloyd since they spent most of last season together on the second squad during practices.

[Potato Sack]

"brunell looks like he's regained some zip on his passes. no really. still won't throw the ball downfield. every pass was a checkdown. maybe that's the drill."

That's Brunell's own drill: Don't ever throw deep, ALWAYS look to the sidelines.

[Xameil]

"brunell looks like he's regained some zip on his passes. no really. still won't throw the ball downfield. every pass was a checkdown. maybe that's the drill."

That's Brunell's own drill: Don't ever throw deep, ALWAYS look to the sidelines.

Hey...no one can throw to the punter quite like Mark

[E-Dog Night]

Awesome E-dog thanks. I think you could expect Randel El to have a better rapport with Campbell then either Moss or Lloyd since they spent most of last season together on the second squad during practices.

You know, that's an excellent point. JC clearly has a comfort factor there. It's obvious to see.

I think developing chemistry between Campbell and Moss is less of an issue because Moss is so damn good. But if you look at the last few games of 2006 and the practice I saw yesterday, it's very obvious that Campbell is looking for Randle El much more that Lloyd.

And why not? Randle El is, IMO, a more proven commodity. Hopefully, he'll either get open more often due to single coverage, or he'll cause a let-up in the relentless doubling of Moss. And if you double them both, that leaves Cooley 1-on-1 with a LB, which is a mismatch. In a 3WR set with Moss & Randle El both being doubled, and a LB dedicated to covering Cooley, that leaves Lloyd alone against the 3rd CB with no LB clogging the passing lane. He really ought to be able to take advantage of those situations. Let's hope Campbell has the ability to find him as a 3rd or 4th option in those scenarios.

I've got a real good feeling about the offense this year.

[Hooper]

Great stuff. Very objective write up. I have high hopes for our offense -- I could see it exploding. And I have big concerns about two things -- our defensive line and the fact that we haven't locked up Cooley yet. It's mind-boggling. Making him the highest paid tight end in the league right now isn't a bad idea -- because tight end salaries haven't got out of control. But they will after this recent offseason, where people went nuts with the cash. Whatever Cooley wants now... well he'll be able to get far more after another good season.